The definitive urban racer on Dreamcast from Bizarre Creations. Demanding driving, superbly modelled cities and a dense career mode. A genre peak that paved the way for PGR.
Your verdict
Category
Racing1 player3+
Description
Drivers race through city streets around the world in this Bizarre Creations urban racing game for Dreamcast. Published by Sega, released in the United States in January 2001. Touring car racing with authentic urban circuits of Tokyo, London and other cities, Kudos reputation system. American version.
MSR - Metropolis Street Racer review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
From the pen of Richard Jacques, in-game radios distil hushed jazz, lounge and stylish grooves across the world's great cities. The music marries the elegance of the driving, turning every race into a chic cruise. This sonic refinement, rare in the racing game, already heralded the class of the Project Gotham series.
The NTSC release of Metropolis Street Racer is the US version of the Bizarre Creations game, distributed by Sega in the US. Collector value comes from a shorter Sega print than in Europe and from MSR now being cited as one of the great precursors of modern urban arcade racing since the Project Gotham Racing success.
An underrated gem
Before it became Project Gotham, Bizarre Creations laid the groundwork here for a city racer of staggering richness: faithfully recreated cities, a Kudos system rewarding style, real-world time of day. Released late and demanding, it suffered from the console's decline. Driving buffs and lovers of polished craft will still feast on it.
Is MSR - Metropolis Street Racer still worth playing in 2026?
The first title from the studio that would become Bizarre Creations and birth Project Gotham Racing, MSR rests on a Kudos system that rewards style as much as speed. The cities recreated with genuine urban sensitivity, the dynamic weather and the soundtrack quality were a landmark at the time. The driving demands finesse and the career mode runs long. To understand PGR's roots or simply enjoy a refined racer, the title remains a strikingly modern experience overall.
